🎨 Shaping Emotions, Shaping Futures: Pottery and Art Therapy in Rural Italy
- Tatyana Shalukhina
- Oct 17, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 5
A hands-on workshop in Italy revealed how clay, creativity and calm can help young people explore themselves—and rural careers as art therapists or ceramic makers.
What if Creativity Could be Your Job?
This was the question that sparked deep reflection (and dirty hands!) during a powerful pottery and art therapy workshop held in July 2024 at Goloka Ecofarm, Italy. The activity took place as part of the Erasmus+ KA2 project "Rural Entrepreneurship for You(th)", a youth exchange designed to explore how rural life can inspire meaningful careers for young people across Europe.
Leading the workshop was Chiara Contatore, founder of Terre Chiare, a rural micro-business that blends pottery with art therapy. Chiara is not just a ceramist—she’s a guide into the emotional and healing power of clay, and how it can become both a personal practice and a professional path.
Art Therapy in the Countryside: a Different Kind of Healing
Chiara opened the session with a relaxed but impactful talk on art therapy in rural settings. She shared how her business, Terre Chiare, developed as a way to combine creativity, nature and emotional well-being.
Here are some of the highlights:
What is art therapy? A practice that helps people express and transform their emotions through creative work—no words needed.
Why rural? Nature, silence and slowness become allies in the process. Far from city noise, participants can focus and reconnect.
Why clay? It’s versatile, earthy, and deeply symbolic: you can shape it, rebuild it, or return it to nature. Just like emotions.
Ceramics as a profession: From artisan markets to online shops, Chiara described the business side of ceramics, showing that this ancient craft is still alive—and profitable.
From Thought to Touch: a Hands-On Clay Workshop
After the theory, the energy shifted. Everyone was invited to sit around the clay table, roll up their sleeves, and start creating.
The guiding question was simple but powerful: "What do I want to create?"
Participants were encouraged to explore their inner desires and dreams, giving them physical shape through the slab technique, a simple and intuitive way of working with clay.
Whether it was a small cup, a symbolic amulet, or a quirky sculpture, each creation carried meaning. The process became a moment of mindfulness, and Chiara provided gentle guidance when needed—letting each person express themselves freely.
Sharing and Letting Go: the Circle of Creation
The workshop ended just as it had started: in a circle. Participants shared what they had made, why they had made it, and how they felt. Some kept their pieces as souvenirs; others chose to return their clay to the earth, symbolizing emotional release and the beauty of impermanence.
It was a moving moment—one that reminded everyone that creativity is not about perfection, but about presence. And sometimes, letting go is part of the process.
From Craft to Career: Rural Art as Entrepreneurship
This experience was not just about getting creative. It was a window into a potential profession. Participants walked away with:
A better understanding of what art therapists and rural ceramists actually do.
Inspiration to explore eco-crafts as business ideas, even on a small scale.
New awareness of how emotional well-being and entrepreneurship can go hand-in-hand.
Why this Matters
In a time when many young people feel disconnected or pressured to "fit in" to rigid job markets, this workshop offered a different message: 👉 Creativity is a skill. Clay is a tool. Nature is your partner. And yes—this can be your job.
Through this session, part of the broader Rural Entrepreneurship for You(th) project, the participants discovered how a piece of earth and a moment of silence could spark both healing and innovation.
🌿 Would you start your own pottery studio in a quiet village?
Let us know—and keep following us for more rural youth stories on EduYouth.
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